Does Ben prefer poker to J-Lo?

by NICOLE LAMPERT, Daily Mail

No Reconciliation with Jennifer Lopez is on the cards - so Ben Affleck is back at the gaming tables.

Looking bloated and bleary-eyed, the actor has hardly stopped playing poker since the shapely star broke off their engagement in January, ending their turbulent 18-month relationship. He often stays right through the night at casinos, spending hundreds of thousands of pounds at each session.

Now friends are concerned that the 31-year-old, who once had treatment for alcoholism, has exchanged one addiction for another. Affleck's gambling is believed to be one of the main reasons behind his split with Miss Lopez, who is famous for keeping a tight rein on her finances. The singer-actress was even seen accompanying him to casinos in a bid to try to control his habit.

Now she is gone, he appears to be on a spree. One of his friends said: 'He has been at the tables an awful lot since things started going bad with Jennifer.

'You can get an incredible high from playing cards and there is no doubt this is his latest obsession. 'He has got more money than he knows what to do with, so if he loses a quarter of a million it doesn't matter.' But instead of trying to control his habit, Affleck is flaunting it - taking part in a new American television show called Celebrity Poker Showdown, in which personalities play each other.

After losing in the first round to Sex And The City actor Willie Garson, he returned for a second broadcast from the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles.

'We never thought Ben would come on again, but he was more than happy,' said a show insider. 'It's a bit sad really. You're left thinking, "Hasn't he got something better to do with his time?" '

While 33-year-old Miss Lopez appears to have glided away from their troubled relationship, and has found a new boyfriend - Latin pop star Marc Anthony - Affleck is not doing as well. His latest movie Paycheck, for which he was paid £10million, has failed to make back the £40million it cost to make.